http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/ozarksfood_2295.mp3
The Ozarks Food Harvest announced it received a grant from a national foundation Tuesday.
KSMU's Christy Hendricks explains how this helps the food bank move closer to building a new food distribution warehouse.
Amid crates of peanut butter, spaghetti, and potato chips, leaders of the Ozarks Food Harvest announced a challenge grant from a national foundation.
The Kresge Foundation, a three billion dollar foundation located in Michigan, awarded a 500-thousand-dollar grant for the food bank's campaign to build a new distribution warehouse.
Bart Brown is the executive director of the Ozarks Food Harvest.
He says he hopes the challenge grant will encourage local philanthropy.
The food bank announced a campaign to raise four-point-one million dollars in December to build a new food distribution center in North Springfield.
At about 45-thousand square feet, the new center will be twice the size of the current facility.
Charlie O'Reilly, the honorary campaign chair, donated land in the North Creek area of Springfield near Highway 65 and Kearney for the new facility.
Bart Brown says the new distribution center will feed thousands more in the Ozarks.
Ozarks Food Harvest needs one-point-three million dollars to meet its goal of four-point-one million to build the new food warehouse.
The organization hopes to raise the money in the next year.
It's currently the only food bank for 29 counties in Southwest Missouri.